What Are You Sloshing?

How do you respond when things do not go as you expected? I’ve been pondering this lately. In the past few weeks, a string of things happened that were not what I expected.

·       I had to unexpectedly wait five-hours for an appointment to show up.

·       A person I admire responded in a way that I did not expect.

·       A leadership decision I made had unexpectedly negative results.

·     My tax refund did not arrive as expected. (Still waiting on this one.)

I have been reflecting on my reactions to these events. There have been other things as well, but these will give you the idea. Life rarely goes how we plan. Things happen.

However, to be honest, I have not navigated these recent events in a way that I’m proud of. I have too-often been irritable, cranky and short with Pam and others. I have certainly not been living the “more and better life” that Jesus offers in John 10:10.

Thus, my question: Why is it that sometimes I react so poorly to intrusions in my carefully laid plans? Yet other times, when I’m the best version of myself, these unexpected disappointments hardly become a blip on the radar?

For me, the answer begins with the condition of my soul. When I first became a Jesus-follower, my college group Sunday School teacher was Pat Merold, wife of the preacher, Ben Merold. She once said, “When you carry a bucket of water and it gets knocked, what’s inside will come sloshing out. The same is true with us. When we get knocked unexpectedly, whatever is on the inside will also come sloshing out.”

The truth is, what has been sloshing out of Steve Bond in recent weeks has not been pretty. And, mostly, it’s because I’ve been pushing too hard and neglecting my soul-care. If I’m sloshing muck onto the people around me, it’s because I’m carrying muck inside of me.

It’s tempting to blame my mucky reactions on the person who made me wait five hours, or on the US government for taking too long with my tax return. But the truth is, my reactions are a reflection on me alone, not on anyone else or even my circumstances.

We see this beautifully illustrated in Acts 16. Merely because they were talking about Jesus, Paul and Silas had their backs flayed open with a “severe flogging” and they were held in chains with their feet in stocks. Not exactly a night at the Hilton. Yet, at midnight, they are joyfully praying and singing hymns.

This is not fiction. It’s not fantasy. This is a true story.

Do you know what was happening? When Paul and Silas were knocked, and they were knocked hard, the joy of the Lord sloshed out of them. Why? Because they were filled with the grace and love of Jesus.

The is the same with me. And you, too.

When my soul is full. When I’ve taken care to be close to Jesus. Hear his voice. Sense his love. Quietly receive his comfort and affirmation. Then, I don’t mind getting knocked because what sloshes out is kind and understanding and gentle.

So, I have my homework cut out for me. I need to slow down and pause long enough to refuel my soul with the love of Jesus, his Words, his warm and gentle presence. When my soul-tank is full, I almost always slosh out the fragrance of Jesus.

That’s what I want. Don’t you?